Built in 1708 and the oldest pub in Chelsea, with a list of regulars from Turner to the Rolling Stones.
The Cross Keys stands on Lawrence Street off the King's Road, built in 1708 and, by Wikipedia's account, the oldest pub in Chelsea. It reopened in 2015 after several years closed.
Its history is the hook. The artists Turner, Whistler, and Sargent, the writers Agatha Christie and Dylan Thomas, and the Rolling Stones all passed through. Come for a pint in a 300-year-old room, a seasonal dinner, and a Sunday roast. Skip it if you want cheap drinks, because Chelsea prices apply.
The Cross Keys is in Chelsea, London. Walk in for the bar; book the dining room and roasts.
The pub keeps a cosy, low-beamed character across a bar and a dining area, with a conservatory and garden space behind. The 2015 reopening restored it after years dark.
It reads as a proper historic Chelsea local rather than a polished gastropub conversion. London Unattached and NationalWorld both stress the period feel as the draw.
The bar keeps award-winning ales, craft beer, wine, and cocktails, a broader range than a basic local. Cocktails sit around eleven pounds in line with the postcode.
Order a cask ale or a cocktail and sit in the old front bar. The kitchen runs inventive seasonal dishes alongside pub classics, with the Sunday roast a repeat recommendation, so a drink to match the table works best.
What to order
- 01
An award-winning cask ale
- 02
A cocktail
- 03
A seasonal main
- 04
The Sunday roast
